Arthur lay still in the darkness. A sliver of light crept up his bunk and down part of his face, making his green eyes look almost luminescent. The other soldiers were asleep, tired from a long and weary day. The only sound in the room was their collective breathing, shallow and short.

"Alfred, are you awake?" Arthur hissed into the darkness. No response. Arthur pulled himself over the bunk and peered down at the blond boy beneath him.

Alfred had fallen asleep with his glasses still on and they were now dangling off his left ear. Arthur smiled to himself. It was just like Alfred to be so careless. He stretched out an arm to remove them, but before he could, Alfred's eyes flew wide open.

"Ah, ah Arthur? What are you doing?" Alfred asked, grabbing Arthur's wrist in mid-air. A curious talent of Alfred's was the ability to wake extraordinarily fast, a talent Arthur was now cursing.

"Y-your glasses…" Arthur stuttered, thankful that the darkness was hiding his cherry-red face.

Alfred chuckled softly and removed them, tucking them into a pocket.

"Thanks," Alfred said, as he settled back down on his pillow. "Why were you looking at me anyways? Dreaming about me?" Alfred teased.

"N-no! I just... I wanted to see if you were awake."

"Well, I am now. What do you want?"

"I was just bored. Wanted to talk…"

"About?"

"Ugh, forget it," Arthur grunted and turned back to his bunk. The pair was silent for several minutes, although Arthur could hear Alfred fidgeting in his bunk. He was always restless. Arthur had often said that Alfred seemed like a cartoon come to life: boisterous, colorful, and loud.

Alfred finally broke the silence. "So, Arthur, what're you going to do when this is over?"

Arthur sighed. "I'm not sure. When I was younger, I wanted to be a lawyer."

"A lawyer?" Alfred laughed.

"How the hell is that funny?"

"I can just imagine you screaming at everyone that you're right, that's all."

"You're the only one I scream at."

"Thanks, it's an honor."

"How about you?" Arthur asked, curious about what someone like Alfred would want to do with his life.

"To be honest with you, I don't want this to end. I mean, it's rough out here, but it's better than working at some dumb job all day. I don't know, I guess I like the adventure…" Alfred replied, his voice trailing off.

"Something's wrong with you. You want to live like this forever?"

"Well, it means I get to be with you forever," Alfred replied sarcastically, although that didn't stop butterflies from forming in Arthur's stomach.

"Oh. Uh, so what's your hometown like, Alfred? Do you have a girl back home waiting for you?" Arthur asked as his fingers nervously played with a lock of hair.

"My hometown's boring, and the girls are the same. What about you, you got a girl?"

"Never."

"Never?"

"Never."

"Well, that doesn't surprise me," Alfred joked, and he reached out to punch the bottom of Arthur's mattress. "I'm sure you'll get a girl someday. Maybe if you get enough money to offset your personality."

Arthur forced a laugh. "Maybe… maybe."